Patel began his career playing Anwar Kharral in the E4 teen drama Skins (2007)

Dev Patel was born on April 23, 1990 in Harrow. He is the son  of Anita, a care worker, and Raju, an IT consultant. His parents are Indian Gujarati Hindus, though they were both born in Nairobi, Kenya. His family roots lie in Gujarat.

Dev got his breakthrough performance in 'Slumdog Millionaire' which went on to represent India at the Oscars

His career expanded with leading roles in the comedy-dramas The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), the science fiction thriller Chappie (2015), and a supporting role in the HBO series The Newsroom (2012–2014)

In 2016, Dev Patel featured in the critically acclaimed film 'Lion'. Based on Saroo Brierley's best-selling autobiography "A Long Way Home", it is a true story about an Indian boy who falls asleep on a train only to wake up and realise he is miles away from home in a strange land where he does not speak the language

In 2018, Dev starred in Hotel Mumbai and Wedding Guest. Both the films were set against the backdrop of India

In 2024, Dev turned writer, producer and director with the release of Monkey Man. While the film is yet to release in India, the film has received excellent reviews outside the country

British-Indian actor Dev Patel has revealed he is tired of being criticised for "stealing" roles from "real" Indian actors."I get flak sometimes because people will say, 'Why aren't they giving these roles to a real Indian?' I wonder, What does that even mean? The only way I can converse with my grandparents is in Gujarati. Does that make me real enough?'' Dev Patel asked in an interview to San Francisco Chronicle

"The truth is I'm trying to understand myself better and my heritage, to figure things out, in the movie choices I make. That's been the greatest thing for me in going to India repeatedly," Patel told a publication

The Lion star previously confessed he "reconnected" with his Indian roots when he starred in the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire. In 2016, he later said that he could never really fit in as the locals "could smell the foreigner on me"